TecQ is our weekly round-up of the technology stories.
Indian Government Websites Down: Hacked or Technical Glitch?
On Friday, multiple Indian government websites were reported to be hacked, but there appears to be conflicting theories within the government itself.
The Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had earlier tweeted that the Ministry of Defence site had been hacked, putting the entire country into alarm. She even tweeted saying action had been initiated after the alleged hacking.
Read the full story here.
Facebook Has Been Tracking Your Photos and Chats on Messenger
The Facebook data privacy conundrum has hit a new low on Wednesday, after it was found tracking user chats and photos on its Messenger app. This development has surfaced after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg inadvertently confessed to the wrongdoing in his interview with Vox earlier this week.
So, this essentially means that Facebook has managed to scan all through your chat history, including photos shared via Messenger, without even letting you know about it.
Read the full story here.
Reliance Jio & Airtel Offer IPL 2018 Live Stream to Rival Hotstar
Reliance Jio has upped the ante in the live streaming sports arena by offering a special data pack for its users with the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. The IPL kicks off on 7 April. The telco has announced a Rs 251 plan that claims to offer 102GB data, allocated for live streaming of the cricketing event. The data available with this plan comes with a validity of 51 days.
Airtel has also added itself into the mix by offering free live streaming of IPL 2018 via its updated Airtel TV app. Just like Jio, this special offer is only available to existing and new Airtel 4G users on Android and iOS who need to download and update the app.
The live streaming space in India is gaining steam with the rise in the number of affordable 4G plans in the market. Airtel TV app is seen as a direct competition to Jio TV as well as Hotstar from Star India.
Read the full story here.
World’s First Blockchain-Based Phone Will Look Something Like This
Blockchain is a popular phenomenon in the technology and there’s already a blockchain-based phone looking to give it a serious go. Swiss-Israeli technology firm Sirin Labs has designed the software and hardware for the phone called Finney which will cater to demands of cryptocurrency specialists.
Blockchain is a digital platform that can record numerous bitcoin transactions in the form of data blocks that aren’t stored on any computer or network. The data is secured through use of cryptography.
Foxconn will be making Finney for Sirin Labs and you’ll be able to create crypto-wallets to share virtual currencies through this device. So, how much does this unique phone cost and what else can the phone do? Here’s everything you’d want to know.
Read the full story here.
Nokia 7 Plus and 8 Sirocco First Impressions: Edge Makes an Impact
HMD Global has launched its Nokia 6 (2018), Nokia 7 Plus and Nokia 8 Sirocco edition smartphones in the Indian market. The phones have been priced starting from Rs 16,999 with the 7 Plus costing Rs 25,999 and the 8 Sirocco getting a price tag of Rs 49,999.
All three phones will be available in the country by end of this month, and after spending some time with these devices, here’s our first impressions.
Nokia 7 Plus is an interesting addition to the HMD Global’s lineup for the Indian market. The phone gets mid-range pricing, but it seems the brand is betting on the quality factor rather than banking on the hardware.
Read the full story here.
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